


it's okay not to be okay

by thetinylittlebird



Category: DCU, Teen Titans (Comics)
Genre: Fluff and Angst, Gen, Platonic Relationships, Some Swearing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-01
Updated: 2020-07-01
Packaged: 2021-03-05 00:21:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,987
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25015399
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thetinylittlebird/pseuds/thetinylittlebird
Summary: Cassie has been feeling stressed. It's a good thing Tim is there to comfort her.
Relationships: Tim Drake & Cassie Sandsmark
Comments: 6
Kudos: 9





	it's okay not to be okay

**Author's Note:**

> Okay so I was reading Teen Titans #24 and I really liked how it portrayed Tim as a comforting leader. And I was like..what if we had that..but with Cassie. I know this specific Teen Titans run isn’t the best, but I just felt like writing a fic for it. Like there are barely any fics of these two with a platonic relationship.

God, just why? About every little bit of Cassie’s body tingled in frustration. The blonde heroine was stressed. Every little thing was irritating her. What she needed to do was calm down. But she couldn’t. Cassie was drowning in a flood of feelings and despair. Her chest ached in turmoil. The back of her throat also ached from crying for the past twenty minutes in her dorm of the Teen Titan’s headquarters. She was constantly circling around her bed. Was this depression? Cassie joked about it a lot but was this actually it? Or was this her teenage feelings being an absolute pain in the ass? It didn’t matter, she just wanted it to go away.

The last time she felt like this was when Conner died. But now he was up and fresh from the grave so that wasn’t a valid reason. Perhaps this emotional aching was something else. Cassie wasn’t on her period so that didn’t count. Perhaps it was some type of emotional migraine? If those were a thing. The only thing Cassie could think of was stress. Bunches of stress piling up inside of her. That was probably it. Being a teenage hero wasn’t always fun and games. The lives of people relied on her. Maybe it was that. The stress of being a hero. Does Wonder Woman feel this way sometimes?

Cassie started to take deep breaths in attempts to calm herself down. It was kind of working. It was enough to clear her mind from the millions of thoughts. At least she had a clear board to write on. What she needed were a nice warm shower and nice comfortable clothes. She could wear her favourite pair of shorts, which were very soft and silky. The oversized sweatshirt she got from Arizona from that archaeologist trip with her mom would be suitable as well. That was the first part of her mini-plan. After that, she could get some food from the tower’s pantry. Sure she may be on a diet and stress eating wasn't going to fulfil that. But honestly, fuck that. Cassie was really feeling like shit and if she wanted to eat, she would eat. There was that cake that Tim brought to the tower that Alfred made. Hopefully, there would still be some left assuming Bart hasn’t eaten it all.

After that, she could get some fresh air. Fly around the city and touch the clouds in her comfortable clothing. And one she returned back to the tower she could binge-watch Netflix.

Now this seemed like a plan.

Thankfully the bathroom was across her room. She wouldn’t have to walk a long distance and pass by anyone. Well come to think of it, Cassie was actually the only one in the tower tonight. The rest were out and about doing their things. This would make her plan much easier.

Cassie took out the clothes she had in mind and slipped on the house slippers by her door. She made her way into one of the very few bathrooms in the tower. She placed her clothes onto the closed toilet seat. Cassie reached for the shower dial and yanked it softly towards the warmer side. This was one of the very many times she used the showers. In fact, Cassie spent a majority of her time at the headquarters since her mom was always away on archaeologist trips. Plus, the tower had more fun activities to do than the small boring apartment that she shared with her mother.

The shower’s steam started to pour out of its stall. The bathroom started to get humid. Cassie places her hand underneath the flowing water and is greeted with a soothing warm sensation. Not too hot, it was just right.

She stripped herself of her clothes and stepped inside the shower. She didn’t bother to toss her clothing onto the bathroom counter. They laid at the bathroom mat by the shower. Cassie slowly stepped inside and let the soothing water run down her naked back.

That didn’t make the shitty feeling go away. It was about a minute before the first tear slipped out. Then the second. Then before she knew it, Cassie was having a mental breakdown in the shower.

The fact that was depressing just made her cry even harder. The water flowing on her face covered up the waterfalls of tears her eyes were supplying.

Can her feelings like not? Honestly, Cassie was starting to consider this as some type of teenage- hero-depression thing.

Cassie stayed in the shower until the water started to go lukewarm. Her wet blonde hair stuck to her back. As she stepped out the shower, she grabbed the tower near her. Cassie dried off her body and wiped her raw eyes. She used the towel to wrap around her head and slipped on her fresh clothes.

Opening the door, the steam trapped inside toppled out. Cassie entered her room, which was only across, and scavenged through the messy desk to find her hairbrush. She unwrapped the damp tower and tossed it onto her bed.

Her long blonde hair can be a pain sometimes. Especially after a shower. Sometimes Cassie is so tempted to use her brawn to yank the hairbrush through her hair. But she fears she would break the brush and rip out chunks of blonde hair. But this time her hair wasn’t being difficult. There were a few knots but Cassie managed through them. After brushing her hair mostly, she tossed the hairbrush besides the towel.

She felt a little better. The feeling of crying still hung over her by a very thin string that could be cut at any moment. Now all she needed to do was complete the next few steps of her little plan.

The kitchen wasn’t far from the dorm hall. It would only take her a few minutes to walk the distance. The cold air clung onto her face, sending a small shiver down her spine.

As she entered the kitchen, it was empty of people. Cassie did kind of like this. Hanging around the tower by herself. She would be able to use the bigger TV in the lounging area to watch Netflix than her small phone screen in her room.

A nice silver platter was sitting on the further side of the kitchen. Cassie could only assume the cake that Tim brought was underneath it’s covering. She swiftly made her way across the large kitchen. Cassie’s feet were protected from the cold kitchen tiles with her cosy slippers.

She removed the platter’s cover to reveal a reasonable portion of chocolate cake left. A faint smile appeared on Cassie’s face. She reached out for one of the clean dishes that stood in the dish rack by the sink.

“Trying some of Alfred’s cake?”

Cassie nearly dropped the plate onto the ground when Tim’s voice rang across the kitchen. Her heart sure skipped a beat. She turned around to face the team leader. Tim was wearing a green v-neck shirt with a loose pair of jeans. His hands were in his pockets as his dark blue eyes glanced over to her. Cassie had thought she was the only one here. Tim must’ve been in another part of the tower. Probably working on his tech stuff.

Not saying anything, Cassie just gave a short nod. Honestly, she couldn’t risk opening her mouth and start crying.

In front of Tim.

Who was the fucking team leader.

She shifted her head back around to continue her procedure. The shuffle of fabric got closer to her when all of a sudden Tim was standing by her. He too was getting a piece of cake when he also reached for a clean dish from the rack. Cassie slightly flinched when Tim’s arm brushed against hers. It took her a moment to realize that he was waiting for her to get done with the cake knife.

She brought the knife down onto the cake and it made a nice even slice. Cassie stook the knife under her slice and lifted the cake.

Of course, her luck being shitty as it is, the cake slice toppled off the knife and onto the white counter.

“Damn it,” Cassie muttered. She dropped the knife, a little too harshly onto the platter. She used her hands to pick the slice to place on her plate. There was an obvious smudge of chocolate on the counter.

“I can get a paper towel,” insisted Tim. He was already on the move but Cassie rushed forward him to the other side of the kitchen.

And the paper towel roll was bare.

Cassie swore and bent down to the counter’s drawers to look for the extras. There were none to be found. This was only causing the stress inside Cassie to increase. She continued to open more cabinets to scavenge for the paper towels.

“Where are the damn paper towels?” she demanded, her voice strained.

Tim walked over to the sink and says, “I can just use the sponge. No need to get worked up.”

He placed the blue sponge underneath the sink to get it drenched in water. Cassie walked up to him to snatch the sponge out of his hands.

“It’s my mess,” she huffed.

Cassie used the sponge to wipe off the chocolate spot.

“Yeah, I know. It’s okay for people to help you, Cassie.”

The girl gripped the sponge in her hand, squeezing the water out of it angrily.

“Well maybe I don’t want any fucking help!” she yelled as she scrubbed fiercely against the counter. Some of the paint was starting to chip off.

Another hand was placed onto hers. Cassie looked up to see Tim.

“You’re mad.”

“No kidding.”

Tim took the sponge away from her, but he didn’t stop looking at her. Cassie rolled her eyes and opened another drawer to take out a fork. She lifted up her plate and rushed out of the kitchen.

When Cassie arrived at her room she slammed the door. It echoed in the hall. She had lost the appetite to eat her the cake so she set it onto the desk. Letting out a groan she flopped onto the bed. Her body sprawled across the large mattress.

She just wanted to scream. Mainly at herself for denying Tim’s help and releasing a bit of that anger on Tim. He didn’t deserve that. He didn’t deserve to have Cassie act like a total bitch to him. But it was too late now, there wasn’t much she could do.

Cassie just kind of lost the urge to fly. All she really wanted to do was lay on her bed. Perhaps she could fall asleep and all of these terrible feelings can go away. She looked at the digital alarm clock on the nightstand next to her. It was only 7:03 P.M. Cassie wouldn’t be able to fall asleep any time soon. She started to consider flying out into the orange sky once again. And if she were to scream, it’s not like anyone would hear her. She would be dozens of feet far from the ground.

She laid on her bed for a few more minutes before getting up. Just as she was going to stand up, a knock was sounded from her door.

“Who is it?” she sarcastically called, knowing she and Tim were the only ones in the tower.

“The mailman.”

Cassie glared at the door, wondering if Tim could feel her icy look.

“I’m kidding, Cassie,” he chuckled. “But seriously, are you alright?”

Honestly, she didn’t like Tim being concerned about other people’s feelings. It just seemed weird for her.

She let the words slip out of her mouth as if it was another breath.

“Yea, Tim. Why don’t you go fiddle around with your computer and gadgets?” she mocked. Perhaps she could ditch the conversation by escaping into the sky using the balcony door diagonal from her. In fact, that was exactly what Cassie was going to do.

She got up from the bed and headed to her escape door.

“Look Cassie, I know you want to be left alone and all but I can’t do that.”

Cassie rolled her eyes once again.

She toggled the lock, trying to open the door. “And why’s that?” she asked.

“Because leaders don’t do that.”

Cassie didn’t even pay attention to his words. She was just desperately trying to escape. Now this lock was just being stubborn. She yanked it one side to the other trying to unlock the door. The darn thing was jammed.

“Are you trying to open something?” Tim questioned, his voice uneven on the end.

She didn’t answer him. The door wouldn’t unlock, she was on the verge of a meltdown, and her team leader was outside acting like a Care Bear. Cassie had enough of toggling the door lock. With one swift movement she broke the lock off. She tossed away the access in her hand.

And the door opened. But it wasn’t the balcony door.

Cassie’s hand was holding onto the balcony door handle very tightly. She was frozen like a statue. She couldn’t believe it. Tim had barged into her room acting like he owned the entire place and everyone in it. She wanted to bolt out the unlocked door, but she couldn’t. Her feet were stuck to the ground.

Cassie could feel Tim move closer due to the shuffling of fabric.

“Talk to me,” he spoke with a gentle voice.

‘Screw this,’ she would think. She swung open the door, ready to leap in the air. Tim’s hand grabbed onto her shoulder, causing her to fall back down. Frustrated, Cassie spun around and grabbed his wrist, tears streaming down her face. Tim’s wrist was bony underneath her grasp. Her baby blue eyes fluttered to his. Tears were caught on her eyelashes as she tried to blink them away. Her grip on his hand was stern, but not harming. Cassie released and dropped her hand to her side. She turned her head aside.

“I-I didn’t mean to grab you like that..” she said hoarsely, her voice barely a whisper.

Tim used the same hand to place on her shoulder. “I know.”

It was silent for a few more seconds before Cassie started to break down. She used both of her hands to cover her face. Before she knew it, a pair of arms were soon wrapped around her.

Tim gently held her as she sobbed. No words were spoken. The only thing heard were Cassie’s quiet chokes. She could feel his chest rise slowly every few seconds. His cheek was pressed against her blonde head. Thankfully Cassie was using her hands to keep her tears from forming a wet spot on his shirt. But she felt safe with him holding her.

It must’ve been about ten minutes before Tim directed Cassie to sit on the bed. He kept on holding her. Another few minutes passed before she pulled away from him. The feeling of protection soon faded away and Cassie wanted his arms around her again. But she resisted that feeling and used her hands to wipe her face.

Tim looked down at her and faintly smiled. “Feel better?”

She nodded and gave a small sniffle.

“Cassie, it’s okay not to be okay sometimes,” he said shuffling closer to her.

The girl didn’t say anything, she was fiddling with the strings on her shorts. She softly bit her lip.

“Everyone has these moments, there’s no need to be ashamed of them.”

Cassie looked up at him with one eyebrow raised. “Even you?”

Tim would shrug and grin. “Sometimes.”

A small laugh escaped her lips. “Tim Drake. Crying. You humour me, Mr. Red Robin.”

The smile on her face made Tim feel better. He just shook his head and chuckled. Then his face went serious.

“Do you care to tell me what’s wrong?”

Cassie let out a small sigh, saying, “I’ve been stressed lately...with everything. With being Wonder Girl and Cassandra Samdsmark. And I have been feeling it for a few weeks. I don’t know why. I’ve been doing this hero thing for almost forever and just now I’m crying and confessing my feelings to my team leader.”

The boy next to her just nodded, still trying to figure out how he was going to respond to this.

“Maybe it’s just teenage feelings acting like a total pain in the ass, who knows…” she continued, her voice trailing off. “I’m sorry for releasing some of that anger on you. You didn't deserve it.”

“No Cassie,” he spoke. “I probably did since I didn’t notice this before and helped you earlier. You shouldn’t have to go through that stress alone.”

Tim was blaming himself for this. This just made her feel worse. He was taking responsibility for something that wasn’t even caused by him. He was blaming himself for her feelings which were total bullshit.

“Tim, you can’t just blame the things that you didn’t cause on yourself. Sure you may be a team leader but you can’t always take responsibility for everything.”

That did kind of shut him off. Tim didn’t say anything in reply for a few minutes. Although the silence was kind of awkward.

“Then I should make it up to you.”

“What?”

“I said I’ll make it up to you,” he repeated a little bit louder.

Cassie huffed and rolled her eyes once again. “Tim, you just gave me a small pep talk after holding me for twenty minutes while I cried my eyes out. I think that’s more than enough.”

“Do you feel better at least?”

“Yes, a lot better than I did an hour ago,” Cassie said with a short laugh.

Tim turned his head to glance around the room. He returned his gaze to Cassie.

“How about we watch a movie or play a board game?” he suggested.

She’d smile. “I’d like that.”

**Author's Note:**

> In case you are wondering why I had Cassie deal with serious stress, it's because she is a really confident character and that people like her have their breaking moments too. And like...comforting Tim is fun to write. This will probably be the last short story I will write about this couple for now since I want to get started on some chaptered fics for this series. Anyways, thank you for taking the time to read this and sorry for the wait.


End file.
